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Home » Instagram » Me and my boys can’t be the only ones that eat our spare water kefir grains, right? We went through a stage where they weren’t reproducing, but having tried some really dark unrefined cane sugar they are going crazy and I have so many. This lot is for my son, age 5, to munch on…he goes crazy for them!
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Me and my boys can’t be the only ones that eat our spare water kefir grains, right? We went through a stage where they weren’t reproducing, but having tried some really dark unrefined cane sugar they are going crazy and I have so many. This lot is for my son, age 5, to munch on…he goes crazy for them!

March 13, 2020 by Ali

Previous PostOne of the reasons I moved my life to Italy in my hands: easily-accessible, local, organic food. Back in the UK, it took a lot of work for me to find UK grown and milled rye flour. Here, near Florence, there’s a fully organic farm, championing ancient grains and regenerative agriculture, literally a few miles from my house. That mans I can make sourdough, 85% wholegrain, rye bread that is hyper-local. It’s what I believe food should be and I feel such deep joy at being part of its creation in my kitchen.
Next PostI’ve been making 100% wholegrain spelt sourdough pizzas for about a year now. I feel like I’ve got the dough and the fermentation sorted, but the transfer to the oven and cooking to perfection is still a work in progress (it hasn’t helped that, in that time, I’ve moved my family from the UK to Italy and we’ve passed through many kitchens!). My 5-year old loves eating the results, whatever. That makes me a happy Mumma.

Recent Posts

  • Here’s the beautiful broth from the beef bones in my story today. . I’ve 6 jars like this. They’ll set like jelly, the fat layer available to take off or break up and mix back in. . I’ll drink the stock on it’s own, sprinkled with salt. I’ll use it to cook grains in. I’ll let it loosen up leftovers when I pull them from the fridge to heat up for a quick supper. I’ll add it to one pan meat and veg dishes for extra richness. . Do you have any unusual uses for stock you want to share?! . If you haven’t yet, check out the @ancestralkitchenpodcast on stock (it’s number 26), our most downloaded episode – there’s obviously a whole lot of goodness there! . Happy weekend from my kitchen to yours.
  • Creativity in the kitchen – how do you express it? . With me, it’s often in my bread and it often comes to life based on what needs using. . I wanted a basically spelt loaf and I also wanted to make it up as I went along. There was a packet of rye flour in the cupboard that needed finishing so I added the remains of that. Whilst in my cupboard-clearing-out mode, I noticed the end of a tub of dehydrated orange slices. I whizzed them up in the spice grinder with a generous handful of caraway seeds and added that to the dough. . There was some four-day-old rye sourdough starter in the fridge. I put a big blob of that in, added some honey, salt and water and got stuck in with my hands. . The resulting loaf is delicious and makes me want to play some more with orange and caraway. . Thank you to @ellys.everyday for making me feel OK about using ‘old’ sourdough starter and to @elliemarkovitch for being a wonderful intuitive baking ambassador! If you don’t already, go follow what they are up to in their exploratory kitchens :-) . I’d love to hear where you most like to ‘play’ in the kitchen.
  • What’s your favourite grain? . I think mine are oats. It’s that creaminess they create. I guess it comes from their higher-than-normal fat content. . And I love to ferment oats. This picture is of a fermented oat bake – I fermented the freshly-rolled oats overnight and then mixed with eggs and cheese before baking. I want to try this again and add some bacon and onions, as well as herb-it-up! . Check my story today for more fermented oats goodness.
  • Is crunch important to you? . The crust of a sourdough, pork crackling, toast…all things I love largely because of the crunch. I miss the satisfaction of that noise and sensation if I don’t have it! . Crunchy pork skin hits that spot 110% *and* it’s made at home, local and a ‘waste’ food. So good that I wanted to glorify the treats in some arty pictures! . Check my story today for videos of the process (and the crunch!) and click on my profile to find the youtube video recipe
  • How can something so simple brighten my day so much? Purple of borage flowers against the orange of carrots and the green of chives and rocket. . In the background sourdough spelt topped with bone marrow, some red cabbage sauerkraut and two types of local unpasteurised cheese – one with sheep’s milk, the other cow’s. . Everything here is Italian, most of it from less than 5 miles away. The borage and chives are from the garden. . It’s hard to put into words how eating locally and using traditional wisdom in my kitchen makes me feel. It’s something like peaceful, but with hints of deep belonging and gratitude. . Happy weekend all.

Recent Comments

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